Transcript IAFS 1000 Consolidating British Rule in South Asia: Debates on

IAFS 1000
19th Century India:
Debating Muslim Education
Outline
• 1857 Uprising
• Indian Muslim debates re. education
–Aligarh
–Deoband
Muslim Debates over
Education
• two schools: Aligarh and Deoband
• significance: diversity of Indian
Muslims
1857 “Mutiny”/War of
Independence/Uprising
• Significance: Br distrust of Muslims
• Landlords, peasants, disinherited
princes
• Threat to Indian Army
• 1858: British Crown takeover
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/cia05/india_sm05.gif
Aligarh: Muhammadan
Anglo-Oriental College (est 1875)
• Founded by Sir Syed Ahmed
Khan
• Modeled on British schools
• Both Muslim and Hindu
students
• Training for Muslim leaders
• Combined Islamic and
Western education
Syed Ahmed Khan
• Islam need not be hostile to
Christianity
• Hindus and Muslims not inherently
incompatible: “India is like a bride
which has got two beautiful and
lustrous eyes—Hindus and
Mussalmans”
• Harmony depended on British rule:
“for the peace of India . . . the English
Government should remain for many
years—in fact for ever!”
Deoband (est. 1867)
• Purifying Islam
• Traditional Muslim education (based
in Wahhabi traditions)
• Middle- and lower-class Muslims
• No British support
• Largely apolitical
• Seen as a guardian of Islam
Themes
• 1857 uprising led to British distrust of
Muslims
• Indian Muslims never a monolithic
group (e.g. Aligarh vs. Deoband)